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February 25, 2013

Talkin' Baseball: Evil Empire, Jeffrey Loria, & More

49er16: Did you see this judge ruled in favor of the New York Yankees for the trademark "Evil Empire"? The judge blocked a clothing company from using that moniker. Because the Yankees don't make enough money, now they have to block someone else from using that moniker.

The Colonel: The majority of the time a judge, whether they're liberal or conservative, will always rule in favor of the bigger organization. Almost always. I do have to say I enjoy the fact the Yankees embrace that name since it was given to them by the Red Sox ownership. The Red Sox should have trademarked that name.

49er16: That would have been something if the Red Sox trademarked that name and used it with apparel. Could you imagine the court case there if the Yankees sued them for using it?

The Colonel: I know I would love to be a fly on the wall for that court case.

49er16: I know we bag on him almost every week in this post, but Jeffrey Loria just can't stay out of the news. Now he's written an open letter to the fans talking about the team's struggles and that the stadium's finances come from hotel taxes. HEAR THAT SOUTH FLORIDA RESIDENTS? HOTEL TAXES PAID FOR THAT STADIUM! NOT INCOME OR PROPERTY TAXES!

The Colonel: Loria is the best. He's never going to sell that team by the way. He's going to hold onto them with every fiber in his body until he drops dead. And that fan base will always be apathetic.

49er16: I honestly do feel sorry for those fans. Or what fans there are. I'm sure they would love a baseball team that is competitive year-in, year-out, but it's never going to happen with Loria in charge or that son-in-law of his.

The Colonel: What do we make of the Yankees this year? Curtis Granderson is out for 10 weeks now and Jeter and Rivera are coming off injuries. Is this the year they finally slip as a team and don't make the playoffs?

49er16: I thought last year they wouldn't make the playoffs. I still think they're collective age will finally catch up to them at one point. The other teams in the AL East have gotten better and they're younger while the Yankees never improved themselves this year and actually got weaker at a couple of positions. If there's a year they finally regress, it's this one. They're not getting younger.

The Colonel: I know. That's the thing. Age has to come back against them at some point. It came back against them in the ALCS. They're not going to make the playoffs at one point one of these Jeter's final years.

49er16: I finally got to listen to a Giants game on the radio this weekend and I forgot about how much of a mess those broadcasts are. Kuiper and Miller don't know half of the players and have a hard time identify the new players who come into the games. It is nice though to listen to their stories because they can't talk about those players.

The Colonel: Yeah those broadcasts are usually a mess. The broadcasters need spring training as much as the players do. And yes it is awkward when they're trying to identify the new players entering the game. "Is that Andrew Susac or Jackson Williams?" It's one of the reasons why I don't listen to much spring training baseball.

49er16: I also like the TV broadcasts of these games because those announcers never really know what to say and also can't identify the prospects that are put into the game.